Zane’s Redemption by Tina Folsom Read Free Book Online

lingered.
    He drew in another breath and took the scent into his lungs: Yvette. What the fuck had she wanted, and why hadn’t she rung the doorbell like any decent visitor? Annoyed that his workout routine had been interrupted, he stormed back up the stairs when another scent hit his nostrils.
    His head veered to the left side of the door where a little niche housed a broom to sweep the stairs and driveway. Tonight, said broom wasn’t alone. To its left stood a small cage. From it came the scent that had drifted his way. Zane hunched down and looked inside when the caged animal let out a whining yelp. A dog, more precisely a puppy, was now yapping away at him, his nose pressed against the metal grid.
    “Shut up! You’re gonna wake up the whole fucking neighborhood.”
    But the dog kept on barking, clearly unaware who he was dealing with.
    “Ah, shit!” Zane grabbed the handle on top of the cage and carried it inside the house, shutting the door behind him. As he flipped the switch to illuminate the foyer, he noticed a note card stuck to the side of the cage that had faced the wall before. He pried it off and read it.
    ‘My name is Zane, and I’m yours.’
    He recognized the handwriting, too. That fucking bitch! She was offloading one of her puppies on him. She should have had her dog spayed if she didn’t want to deal with a litter. And the gall she had to even name one of the useless creatures after him! He was ready to take Yvette’s head off!
    He would return this unwanted present as soon as he’d had a shower. She wouldn’t get away with this crap. No wonder she hadn’t rung the doorbell, because she knew that he would have tossed her down the stairs, cage in hand.
    “That’s right,” he muttered.
    The dog yelped, and his big brown eyes lifted and looked straight at him.
    “What do you want?” he barked back.
    The puppy’s paw nudged against the grid.
    “No, I’m not letting you out of the cage. You’re gonna piss all over my house.” He gave the dog a stern look, making him understand that he meant it. He wouldn’t be manipulated like that.
    Zane set the cage on the sideboard in the hallway and headed for the bathroom. The dog instantly yowled in the most miserable way he’d ever heard an animal cry.
    “Ah, shit!” he cursed and turned back to the cage. He released the lock and opened the grid door. He reached for the dog and pulled him out, fully intent on setting him down on the floor so he could roam around. But when he felt the soft fur of the Labrador puppy beneath his fingers, Zane instinctively brought the animal to his chest and stroked his hand over its back. The dog turned his head and licked Zane’s hairless chest.
    Some of his anger dissipated. He couldn’t really blame the dog for Yvette’s actions. “And don’t think I’m gonna keep you. It’s just for the day.” He glanced at the clock on the wall. “I won’t have enough time to get you to Yvette’s and back here before sunrise.” He could if he rushed, but he wasn’t in the mood right now.
    The dog gave a soft woof as if he understood.
    “And I’m not calling you Zane.” He’d call him Z, but only for today. Tomorrow night he’d return the dog to Yvette and be done with it.
    As he walked into the kitchen to get the dog a bowl of water, his phone rang. He grabbed the receiver next to the fridge and answered it. “Yes?”
    “I believe you’ve found your gift by now,” Samson said nonchalantly.
    “I ain’t keeping him. You can tell Yvette. She’ll take that fucking dog back tomorrow or I’ll dropkick him down her street.”
    The dog made puppy eyes at him, and Zane rubbed his thumb along his ear. Little Z probably had dirt for brains anyway and didn’t understand a single word he said, so why did he get the sense that he’d just hurt the dog’s feelings?
    “He’s part of the package, so treat him nicely, and that’s an order.”
    Zane grunted.
    “And a file with details of your next assignment is in